Vehicle headlamp unit



June 15, 1943. v. J. ROPER 2,321,705

VEHICLE HEADLAMP' UNIT Filed Aug. 24, I940 lnvenfor: H Vet J. Roper,

His Ai lrorneg.

Patented June 15, 1943 VEHICLE HEADLAMP UNIT Val J. Roper, South General Electric New York Euclid, Ohio, assignor to ompany, a corporation of Application August 24, 1940, Serial No. 354,134

6 Claims.

My invention relates to vehicle headlamps generally, and more particularly to the provision of parking lights for use in conjunction with headlamps. Still more particularly my invention relates to the provision of parking lights for use with unitary reflector head lamps of the type disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,148,314 and 2,148,315, D. K. Wright, dated February 21, 1939, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

In a headlamp system of the type referred to above, it is possible to provide separate lamp units for parking purposes or to include an additional parking filament in the reflector lamp. However, both of these solutions have certain disadvantages, among which is the matter of cost, the addition of a parking filament, for example, involving the necessity of an additional contact or terminal on the headlamp. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the necessity of providing additional units on the vehicle and also to make unnecessary the use of an additional filament in the reflector lamp.

According to my invention, the above objects may be attained by omitting the reflecting coating from a small part of the reflector portion of th headlamp to provide a window, and mounting a separate conventional incandescent lamp adjacent the said window at the exterior of the headlamp. Suflicient light is transmitted through the said window into the interior of the reflector lamp and thence through the cover or lens portion thereof to provide a good parking light. Further features and advantages of my invention will appear from the following detailed description of species thereof and from the drawing.

In'the drawing Fig. l is a vertical section of a headlamp of the reflector type provided with a parking light in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a modified head'- lamp and parking unit; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of another modification wherein the parking lamp is mounted in the lamp socket or connector; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the body portion of said socket or connector; and Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views of still other modifications.

Referring to the drawing, the headlamp shown therein comprises a reflector lamp l0 supported in a suitable holder or mounting II, which in turn is adjustably secured to the supporting structure or frame member l2, the said mounting being of the type shown in Patent 2,194,3'73- D. K. Wright, dated March 19, 1940. The reflector lamp I0 is of the type described and the support ring 2!.

claimed in the Wright Patents 2,148,314 and 2,148,315 referred to above, and comprises a bulb or envelope consisting of a preformed pressed glass reflector section l3 fused around its periphery to a preformed pressed glass cover or lens section I which may be suitably configurated with flutes and prisms. The interior surface of the reflector section I3 is of a light-concentrating shape, preferably paraboloidal, and is covered with a metallic coating l6 preferably of aluminum, constituting a reflecting surface.

A concentrated light source, comprising, in this instance, a horizontally disposed coiled linear filament I1, is mounted within the bulb l3-ll by means of lead wires Ill-l8 and terminal posts 19-19 which are brazed to metallic cups or ferrules 2020 which have their edges sunk and embedded in the glass around openings 2l-2|. The said filament ii is accurately positioned with respect tothe focal point of the reflecting surface It.

The mounting or holder H for the lamp l3 comprises an annular support ring 2| provided with an annular seat or ledge 22 around the inner edge thereof. This support ring 2| is secured to the supporting structure l2 in any suitable manner and may be integral therewith if desired, but it is preferred to mount the said ring so as to renderit capable of adjustment with respect to said supporting structure 12. For this purpose a plurality of studs 23 may be secured to the ring2l so as to project through corresponding openings in the flange 24 of the supporting structure 12. A pair of nuts 25-25 threaded on each stud 23 at opposite sides of the flange 24 provides the adjustment means for he lamp I0 is definitely located in a predetermined position by interengagement of ,an annular mounting shoulder 25 thereon with the seating shoulder 22 and is clamped thereagainst by means of an annular retaining ring 21 and a plurality of tightening screws 28. A gasket 29 of cork, rubber or other suitable material is preferably inserted between the rings 2| and 21. The lamp I0 is further located in a predetermined angular position by engagement of a lug or protuberance 30 on the lamp with an opening or recess 3| in the mounting seat portion 22 of the ring if.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, in accordance with my invention, a small portion of the reflecting coating i6 is omitted to provide a window 32. Behind this window is located a parking lamp 33 which may be a conventional low intensity incandescent lamp. The said lamp 33 is mounted in a conventional socket 34 which is held in position in this instance by a bracket 35 which is secured to the supporting frame IL cated at the bottom of the lamp ID, if desired,

instead of at the top as shown in Fig. 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the window 32' is located at one side opposite one end of the horizontally'disposed filament l1, and the bracket 35', carrying the socket 34 for lamp 33, is secured to the ring 2 I. It will be noted that in this modiflcation substantially all the light fromthe parking lamp 33 which is projected through the window 32' strikes the reflecting surface l3 and is redirected thereby through thecover glass section l4.

The headlamp Hlshown in Fig. 3 comprises a pair of high intensity filaments l1 and H which provide, respectively, the driving and meeting beams: The terminal structure comprises three cup or ferrule members arranged at the corners of a triangle and brazed to respective support conductors 3B which extend therethrough. The said conductors 36 support lead wires 31 on which the filaments l|-l'l' are mounted, one of said conductors 36 being common to both filaments. Three triangularly arranged L-shaped terminal prongs I9 of flat metal are secured to a triangular disc 330i insulating material and are soldered at 33, through openings therethrough and'through the said disc, to the outer ends of the support conductors 36. The parking lamp 33 is mounted in a socket '34 which is disposed in an opening in the insulating body portion 40 of a socket or connector indicated generally by the numeral 4|. The said socket 4| contains three U-shaped springy contacts fi'which are located in openings 44 and which engage the terminal posts I9 and are connected to the battery through conductors 43.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the parking lamp 33 illuminates the interior of the lamp In through the window l32 which is located adjacent the apex of the reflector section l3. If desired, the socket 34 and parking lamp 33 may be mounted in the socket 4i so that it is directly behind the apex of the reflector, that is, behind the exhaust tube 45, the window I32 also being located directly at the apex in this case.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the socket 34 for the parking lamp 33 is mounted in a husk or housing 46 which may be molded integral with the insulating disc 38' which may be made of a plastic material, such as a synthetic resin, so that the said lamp 33 is carried by the terminal structure of the headlamp it]. The said husk may, however, be made of a separate piece secured to the disc 38 in any suitable-manner, and it may be mounted directly at the apex of the reflector section l3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the parking lamp is located adjacent the periphery of the cover glass or lens section M of the headlamp Ill so as to illuminate the interior of the headlamp through the said lens section. As illustrated, the parking lamp socket 34 is secured to a bracket I which is mounted on the retaining ring 21. The said socket 34 may, if desired, be mounted on a hinged bracket whichis secured to the frame member l2, the bracket being hinged, in that event, to permit ready removal of the headlamp ID from its mounting. Also, a shield may-be mounted around and in front of the parking lamp 33 to confine the light therefrom to the interior ofthe headlamp In.

If desired, the parking lamp 33 in any of the modifications shown may be surrounded with a tubular sleeve to confine the light to the interior of the headlamp In.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination, a vehicle headlamp comprising a sealed bulb of light-transmitting material including a light-concentrating reflector section having thereon a coating of reflecting material and a cover section for transmission of a beam of v light, said bulb containing a light source for proclucing a high-intensity beam of light and said reflector section having a comparatively small portion of its surface free from said coating material to provide a window, terminals at the exterior of said headlamp electrically connected to said light source and located adjacent to said window,

' a connector for making electrical connection to said terminals, and a lamp of low intensity carried by said connector so as to be located adjacent said 'window at the exterior of said headlamp to project light through said headlamp and thereby provide illumination for parking purposes.

2. In combination, a vehicle headlamp comprising a sealed bulb of light-transmitting material including a light-concentrating reflector section having thereon a coating of reflecting material and a cover section for transmission of a beam of light, said bulb containing a light source for producing a high-intensity beam of light and said reflector section having a comparatively small portion of its surface free from said coating material to provide a window, a terminal structure at the exterior of said headlamp located adjacent to said window, and a lamp of low intensity carried by said terminal structure so as to be located adjacent said window at the exterior of said headlamp to project light through said headlamp and thereby provide illumination for parking purposes.

3. In combination, a vehicle headlamp comprising a unitary sealed reflector and cover glass assembly containing a light source, said reflector having a light-transmitting window portion therein, contact terminals at the exterior of said headlamp adjacent to said window portion, a connector for mounting on said terminals and making electrical connection thereto, and a parking lamp carried by said connector so as to be located adjacent said window at the exterior of said headlamp to project light through said headlamp.

4. In combination, a vehicle headlamp comprising a unitary sealed reflector and cover glass assembly containing a light source, said reflector having a light-transmitting window portion therein, contact terminal prongs at the exterior of said headlamp adjacent to said window portion, a connector for mounting on said terminal prongs and making electrical connection thereto, a lamp socket in said connector and a parking lamp carried by the said socket in said connector so as to be located adjacentsaid window at the exterior of said headlamp to project light through said headlamp.

5. In combination, a'vehicle headlamp comprising a unitary sealed reflector and cover glass assembly containing a light source, said reflector having a light-transmitting window portion therein adjacent its apex, contact terminals at the exterior of said headlamp adjacent to said window portion, a connector for mounting on said terminals and making electrical connection thereto, and a parking lamp carried by said connector so as to be located adjacent said window at the exterior of said headlamp to project light through said headlamp,

6. In combination, a vehicle headlamp comprising a unitary sealed reflector and cover glass assembly containing a light source, said reflector having a'window portion therein, current supply connection means comprising contact terminals-at the exterior of said headlamp adjacent to said window portion and a connector for mounting on said terminals and making electrical connection thereto, and a parking lamp carried by said connection means so as to be located adl0 jacent said window at the exterior of saidheadlamp to project light through said headlamp.

VAL J. ROPER. 

